ANCWL slams AfriForum over #LandExpropriation and old flag

ANC Women's League members at a gathering. Picture: Itumeleng English/ANA

Johannesburg - The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) on Friday slammed AfriForum for their views on land expropriation and the display of the old flag.

ANCWL said it was not surprised by reports that "the Afrikaner right-wing organisation is not pleased with the passing of the motion of land expropriation without compensation in Parliament and they are planning a comprehensive international campaign to discredit South Africa (SA) to foreign governments and investors" and their opposition to any restrictions on the display of the old South African flag.

"As the ANCWL we have warned the peace-loving South Africans when AfriForum established its own private prosecutoral unit, that their actions clearly demonstrate that the idea of building united prosperous SA is not embraced by all. AfriForum want to ensure that the skewed patterns of land ownership in the country and display of apartheid symbols like old SA flag continues," said the statement by ANCWL secretary general Meokgo Matuba.

Earlier this week, AfriForum’s private prosecution team, led by former State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, announced that they will be privately prosecuting Alexis Bizos - the son of world-renowned human rights advocate George Bizos. Last year Nel announced that the civil rights group had instituted legal action to prosecute former president Jacob Zuma's son, Duduzane.

AfriForum has also said it will launch an international campaign to inform governments and foreign investors “that property rights in South Africa are being threatened”.

Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, said land expropriation “could unleash conflict in the country”. He said AfriForum will lobby South African trade partners and ask countries whose citizens own land in the country to put pressure on Pretoria to stop the process of land expropriation.

The ANCWL said in its statement on Friday: "Afriforum is against the spirit of unity in SA and is adamant in promoting Afrikaner supremacy. Their objection to land expropriation without compensation clearly demonstrate that they demand that government must pay the perpetrators and beneficiaries of land thefts that displaced many black people. Some perpetrators and beneficiaries of land thefts have ripped off the democratic government during the failed 'willing buyer - willing seller' era and want that to continue."

Matuba also responded to Kriel saying the group would consider taking action against the Nelson Mandela Foundation court application to have the displaying of the old South African flag criminalised.

This week Kriel said that although they were against the display of the flag, they felt that criminalising it would be going a step too far.

“We don’t use the flag at any of our events and we are not in support of it, but banning it would be against freedom of speech and would make South Africa look like a police state. We won’t take a decision to challenge the court application today, but it is something we will consider,” said Kriel.

The ANCWL said: "Afriforum's adamant support to display of old SA flag that represents colonialism and apartheid exposes their anti-transformation agenda and their continuous cheerleading of apartheid that benefited the minority and reduces the majority of blacks to be landless and beggars in the only country they call home.

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"We reiterate our position as the ANCWL that the arrogance portrayed by this Afrikaner right-wing organisation is perpetuated by their financial muscles built through the colonial and apartheid system that benefited the minority.

"It is only through the fearless and unapologetic implementation of radical socio-economic transformation policies adopted in the 54th national conference of the ANC that socio-economic inequalities in SA will be eradicated and the arrogance of the AfriForum will diminish. Any delays in implementing those resolutions reaffirms the beneficiaries of unjust laws of colonialism and apartheid that they have superior socio-economic powers to undermine the efforts of the democratically elected government to build united and prosperous South Africa."

The statement concludes with: "Radical socio-economic transformation now or never!!"

This is the second strongly worded statement the ANCWL released on Friday.